Return To Summer
by Queen Angelblood
Summary: [Inspired by Ep. 1 of Season 2] Kai tires to sort himself out, but things go awry with a surprise invitation.
1. Winter in July

(A/N: Well, this odd little...THING...was inspired by the first episode of Season 2 (V-force or whatever...). It's told in Kai's POV [first-person narrative] and reflects on the goings on in his life. This will be multi-chaptered (if anybody cares to read the rest of it. :p). This marks my first Beyblade fic since early January. It contains YAOI (Kare) and subtle mentions of masturbation so far. And by subtle, I mean BARELY THERE. The story will be rated higher in the future. I've used Tyson and Mariah's Japanese names (Takao and Mao respectively). I've been lead to believe that Tala's Japanese name is "Yuri", but if that's in correct, inform me and it will be changed. Finally, I've called the story "Return To Summer" because it's almost summer (here at least...) and last June was when I first watched Beyblade. Also, I've made it summer in the story, so...the title was just plain fitting. Please, enjoy the story and R&R with comment/questions. On with the fic!)  
  
[...] =Flashback  
  
/.../ =Thinking  
  
Return to Summer  
  
Chapter 1: Winter in July  
  
One...two...three...four. Four skips and then it sank, plunging into the icy depths of the bay. I sighed and searched the stony beach for another rock. Despite the fact it was mid-July, I was swathed in an over-sized sweater given to me by Takao for my birthday. Honestly, I don't know why he even bothers. It's not like anyone else particularly cared. I skipped another stone.   
  
The water rippled in the northern breeze amd seagulls cried out. The afternoon sky was clouded, adding to my destitution. Everything out here was so calm, so peaceful. Unlike me. Inside, I was reeling, trying to firgure out the mess that was now my life. After the BladeBreakers, my life had changed a lot.   
  
Grandfather had lost Biovolt and millions of dollars in lawsuits,particularly from the Demolition Boys' parents. He'd sold the estate and we were now living in almost down-town Tokyo. It wasn't like we were poor - just down-sizing. Grandfather had 'retired' although, I do believe he was plotting some sort of "come-back" world-take over at one point. We'd kept the cottage up North, which is where I was now. Grandfather was currently on vacation in Hawaii.  
  
I was completely alone here and that's just how I wanted it. I needed to think - to get back on track. Get back to "normal." Tokyo was always bustling, noisy and crowded, forcing you to flow with it, never giving you time to think. At home, thinking made my head spin. So, here I was.  
  
My thoughts shifted back to the BladeBreakers. Max had gone to work with his mother in America; Rei had gone back to China; Kenny and Takao were gearing up for another school semester. I skipped another rock and watched it sink.  
  
The Demolition Boys had disbanded; who knew what the other teams were up to. The White Tigers were probably enjoying some coaching from Rei; The All Starz were probably learning how spirit could be used in a bey-battle from Max and the Majestics were probably having chess tournaments in Robert's castle.   
  
PLUNK! Another stone sank. Robert had actually invited me to play chess with him, which I'd flat out refused. As I said, I needed time to sort myself out.   
  
After the team disbanded, Takao tried to keep in touch with me. I dare say, I was actually being to enjoy talking to the moron, but during moving and all, had lost contact with him. Part of me is glad I lost his number.   
  
Needless to say, my time on the team changed me a lot. I've realized the importance of friendship - and its power. The BladeBreakers are my friends, whether they know it or not. Hey, don't expect me to tell them. I haven't changed that much. I smirked and skipped another stone. There, that was one problem figured out. Now, on to the next....  
  
Rei. I'll admit it, Rei is the only member of the team I respected right from the start. He's confident (most of the time), easy-going, determined and, generally, fun to be around. His personality intrigues me, makes me wonder about him. Is it a front? Couldn't be - it's too natural.   
  
When we were in Asia, he really broke down. He was upset that his former team mates - his friends - had turned against him. And, the first person he turned to for advice was me. I was shocked and angry and pleased all at once. Shocked, because he'd even thought about talking to me, angry because he was talking to me and pleased because he trusted me enough to show me his vunerable side.   
  
I remember how he looked up at me, his golden eyes blurred with tears and all I wanted to do was hug him. HUG him? Why did I want to hug Rei? I told him he needed to sort out his loyalties and it'd be okay. I think I might have held his hand while I gave him my advice.  
  
After that, I became even more confused. Sometimes, he'd try to stay as close to me as he could. Other times, he'd stay as far away as possible. Sometimes he'd smile when he saw me; other times, he'd completely ignore me. It made my head spin. My confusion wasn't 'resolved' until we got to Paris.  
  
[ The door creaked open and I crept into the silent hotel room. Outside, the full moon glowed brightly. I peered about the room. Max...Takao...Good. Everyone was asleep. I crept in and shut the door softly. "Where have you been?"  
  
I jumped and looked down at Rei, who was sprawled out on the sofa - now my make-shift bed. I narrowed my eyes. "None of your business, Rei. Go to bed," I hissed, keeping my voice low.  
  
Rei sat up. He stared at me. "You had me worried. I thought something bad had happened to you."   
  
I snorted. "Worry about yourself. Now, clear off."   
  
I tredded across the room, untucking the sheets from the the corners of the couch. Rei watched me for a moment, then said, "You know, I'd never forgive myself if something happened to you."  
  
I glared at him. "I can take care of myself."  
  
His next action was unexpected. He placed his hand on my shoulder. I froze. He hauled himself up so that we were eye to eye. "I like you a lot, Kai. More than I probably should."   
  
He took his hand off my shoulder and placed it on my cheek. He put his other hand on my right cheek. He closed his eyes and pulled my face toward his. My heart leapt into my throat. /My God, he's going to-/  
  
His lips pressed against mine, for just a second and then he broke off, letting go of me. I stared wide-eyed at him as he lay on the couch and panted with breathlessness. At last he moved, sliding off the couch and slinking to the bed. We didn't say another word for a long time and then...Rei said quietly, "Good night, Kai." ]  
  
I didn't sleep all that night. Inner turmoil had set in. Rei had kissed me. I was shocked and disgusted - with myself. I hadn't fought it and in fact, I'd enjoyed the brief contact. I wasn't supposed to like kissing Rei...was I? I wasn't supposed to keep replaying the scene in my head...wasn't supposed to want to kiss him again. And I definitely wasn't supposed to imagine having a hot-and-heavy make-out session with him. I remember the warm tingling feeling that spread from the pit of my stomach when I thought of that. I remember stroking that feeling, closing my eyes and knowing it was wrong.  
  
Nothing more passed between us. Rei was cautious of me - wary even. Weeks passed, but it seemed like an eternity. Rei talked to me only when necessity called for it.   
  
After my stint with the Demolition Boys, I (as everyone knows) re-joined the BladeBreakers. Rei hadn't shown it, but he'd been close to tears during the fight on the lake. The next day, when we held that stupid meeting, I was watching Rei and he was watching me. When all was said and done and the group had disappated, Rei and I were left alone. There was an awkward moment, and then, he was in my arms, sobbing into my shoulder. His fingers were curled into the fabric of my scarf. "Oh, God Kai," he sobbed. "Don't ever do that to me again!"   
  
I frowned and skipped another stone. Rei liked me and my actions after Takao's defeat of Yuri told me I liked Rei. Max, Takao and Kenny had already left the locker room, and were now outside celebrating. I would have preferred Mao to have left, but I was so happy to see Rei, so relieved that he was okay, that I didn't much care. I held Rei as tightly as I could, blinking back tears. If Mao had been shocked by that, she must have nearly fainted when I titled Rei's face up and brushed out lips together in a chaste kiss. I had told him, "Aishiteru," and he smiled, but if he truly understood, I don't know. Later, Mao was plying him to find out what I'd said. She obviously didn't know Japanese and for that, I was thankful. Rei didn't tell her what it meant, but instead, smiled funnily at the pink-haired girl.  
  
That had been late April. That had been the last time I'd seen or heard from Rei. I missed him. A lot, actually. Frustrated, I skipped another rock. Damn! I wish I'd figured this out sooner! We'd wasted so much valuable time and now, he was gone! The rock sank and I felt hot tears burn at the edges of my eyes. I turned away and headed back to the cottage.   
  
  
  
[A/N: Well, hope you enjoyed chapter one. If you've got somethin' to say, drop me a line via review. ^_~ I'm always happy to hear from you.   
  
~Angelblood] 


	2. A Letter From Rei

(A/N: Reviews! YAY! ^___^ Thankies so much! Keisan: I'm glad you liked the fic so much! Muchos gracias! And I will keep updating! ^^ cLaRa^Lei: I will keep going and thank you for reviewing. ^^ Now, a warning: more masturbation and its a little more clearly stated. And of course, this is still YAOI! Now,on with da fic!)  
  
Disclaimer: (as I forgot one last chapter) I OWN Beyblade! MWHA! So sue me! :P  
  
Lawyers: *sue, sue and sue so more*  
  
Abee: O.o Okay, so that wasn't one of those better ideas....I own nothing but the fic and its plot.   
  
Lawyers: *nod approvingly*  
  
Return To Summer  
  
Chapter 2: A Letter From Rei  
  
The car ride home from the northern shore was long and almost mind-numbing. For hours on end, I'd watched the countryside roll off into the deepening night. Around midnight, as my eyes began to droop, the city lights came into view, blinding me; lighting up the night.  
  
At long last, the car slowed and then died all together. I yawned and stretched, making motions to get out of the car. I stumbled onto the sidewalk.   
  
"Sir."  
  
I waved the driver off. "Take it up."  
  
"Sir."  
  
Shoes clicked over pavement and I stumbled to the door.  
  
I finally reached the flat and shuffled inside. The butler offered me a pile of papers. "Your mail, Sir."   
  
Deftly, I plucked the papers from his hands. Blinking sleepily, I looked through them. "Bill, bill, junk, bill, junk, post-card from Grandfather, flyer, junk, bill, newspaper...what's this?"   
  
I held up the conspicous mail, looking at my name, scrawling across the front, written almost incorrectly in Japanese. I unfolded the note, setting down the other mail. My brow creased as I tried to make sense of it.  
  
The letter was written in a funny, almost sloppy hand, the characters curling in funny places and I had to re-read it several times before I understood what it said. I read the signature six times before I knew who it was from. Rei. Of course, that's why the writing looked funny. He was probably trying to transpose from Chinese (whichever branch he spoke...I wasn't sure) to Japanese. Funny, most Americans think the writing is all the same, but it isn't at all. I scanned the note. "Dear Kai," it read. I winced as I saw the downward brush-stroke through the character that represented my name, nearly making the word into something else. I went through the letter like that, finding all of Rei's mistakes. I knew I shouldn't, but I couldn't help it. I felt so incredibly judgemental.   
  
At last, I set the letter down, satisfied I had correctly guessed what it was supposed to say. "Hnn." /So...He's invited you for a visit..../ Part of me wanted so badly to go. Another part of me told me not to bother. It was just Rei, after all. On the other hand, it was /REI./ My mind tied somehow managed to tie itself back into the knots that had been there a week previous in the span of seconds. I had thought I had this all sorted out...I glanced at the clock. The lights had been dimmed and the butler had since retired from the room. I hadn't even noticed that he'd gone. Sighing, I rubbed my temples and headed out of the kitchen. Maybe after a good night's sleep I'd be able to sort this out....  
  
So much for a good's night sleep. Insomnia decided to drop ice down my back whenever my eyes got so heavy I couldn't keep them open. I tossed and turned for what seemed like hours and the dark never lifted. Everytime I looked at the clock, only minutes had changed. Anger, frustration and an almost depression settled on me. In a fit of rage, I flung the bedsheets across the room, followed closely by my pillow, then curled up on the matress, trying not to cry. It was uncharacteristic, but I was in such inner turmoil. My mind churned over and over, trying to come to a conclusion, but somehow, it all got mixed up again and made the knots tighter. My eyes felt heavy and dusty and Rei was grinning at me from the corners of my mind because he knew this was his fault. I buried my hands in my hair, trying to tear it out. "Get out!" I screeched at him and he just grinned wider, finding this somehow amusing.   
  
At last, Insomnia grew tired of toying with me and left me slumped on the bare mattress, still not able to fall asleep, but too exhausted to care. I might have been sleeping, I don't know. Long minutes passed and everything was silent. It was harsh on my ears and the inner voices started to yammer, still trying to sort me out. I hate being human. Being and animal seems so much simpler- eat, sleep and survive.   
  
At long last, the sun stretched its limbs, pale dawn light creeping in through the window. I heaved a sigh and uncurled, sitting up. I felt horrible. My eyes felt scratchy, dry. I was hot and uncomfortable. My head pounded with a headache. I felt tired. I hauled myself up, finding myself unbearabley heavy, my limbs too weak to even think about supporting me. My head was worst of all- still tied up in knots, still shouting at me, Rei still sitting there, grinning. He closed my eyes and hauled myself off the mattress. "Seeing things...," I grumbled to myself, stumbling across the floor. "What next?" Rei was still grinning at me, swinging his feet into my brain and I half suspected that was where the headache originated. "Go away," I muttered, but he persisted still. God, I hated him....  
  
The water ran down my back, making me shiver, waking me from my sleep(or lack there of) induced stupor. The water heated up, making me relax, any tension in my body starting to evaporate. "Take that," I muttered to Rei, who frowned and promptly turned away. I reached for the soap. My hair was plastered to my head by this point, cooling the pounding blood vessels and the headache dissipated. I closed my eyes and smirked. I felt better already. After all, I'm the invincible Kai- I can do without sleep. Sleep, ha! Who needs it? "Me," I muttered darkly, running my hands through my tangled hair. Sometimes I wonder why I don't just cut it all off. It's only an annoyance. I smirked. I guess I didn't have it that bad- after all, look at how long Rei's hair was. That started me off on the train of thought that only leads to one place....  
  
I started trying to picture...certain things in my head. I'm a teenage boy, give me a break. We do things like this. I wondered how long it took Rei to wash his hair...What he looked like while he was doing it...What did his hair feel like? Was it silky?   
  
I wondered what Rei looked like naked. I closed my eyes and tried to imagine. It was hard to do- he wore so much you couldn't tell what his frame was under the layers of cloth. Unconciously, I passed my tongue over my lips. In my mind, Rei looked /good./ Fuck, he looked HOT. I mentally bey myself that he looked even better in the flesh. I shivered when I thought the last line. It took me down a whole other track. What did his skin feel like? What would it be like to touch him? How did he like to be touched? What did he look like when he came? I tried my best to put conjure up an image to satisfy the last question. The tingling feeling that had been building in the pit of my stomach moved downwards and I reached down to stroke  
  
it. I let my head fall back, resting it against the wall off the shower stall, biting back a groan.   
  
There was a knock on the door and I jumped. "What?!" I yelled, hoping my voice didn't break. The goddamn butler answered back, though his voice was muffled through the door and the shower seemed to drown him out.   
  
"There's phone call for you, Sir. Should I put them on hold?"   
  
I gritted my teeth. If this was another phone solicitor...."Put them on hold," I ground out, hoping it wasn't a telemarketer or...God forbid, Tyson.   
  
"Very well, Sir."  
  
I sighed and thumped my head against the wall. Why me? The shower water changed from hot to icy cold at that second. I yelped (another uncharacteristic thing, but hey. Wouldn't you?) and shut off the water. Grinding my teeth in frustration, I clambered out of the shower, wrapping a towel around my waist. There was no hope of a good jerk-off session now. I stormed into my room and got dressed, then stomped out into the kitchen and took the phone from the butler. "Hello?" I was pissed, and I couldn't contain my contempt for whoever was on the other end of the line.   
  
The voice seemed timid. "Oy, Kai. It's me, Rei. Uh....is this a bad time?"   
  
"No. Not really," I muttered, feeling all my anger evaporate.   
  
His voice, as unsteady as it was, was as smooth as honey and just as sweet. I felt like I was melting. "Oh, okay then."  
  
His voice brightened and cleared a bit. My heart fluttered in my chest and I mentally screamed at it to be still. "- did you get my letter?"  
  
I blinked. "Huh? Oh, yeah. I got it."  
  
"Great! So, uh...whaddya say?"  
  
I could practically hear him beaming. I was silent for a long time. "I don't know," I said at last, quietly.   
  
"Well, think about it, would ya?"   
  
There was an almost pleading quality in his tone. How could I refuse? "Fine," I said.  
  
It wasn't like he was forcing me to go. Besides, I did miss him. You could almost hear his smile when he replied. "Great! I'll look forward to it! Will you be coming down soon?"   
  
"I guess-"  
  
"Great! See ya soon!"  
  
And with that, he hung up. I sighed. How did he do that to me? He could walk all over me and I didn't - wouldn't - care.   
  
"Sir?"   
  
I turned to the butler. "What?"   
  
"Should I pack your things, Sir? And may I inquire where you're going?"  
  
"Hnn."   
  
I turned and walked out of the room. "I'll pack myself." 


	3. Words In The Dark

(A/N: Thankies for the reviews! ^^ MistyEyes: Glad you liked the fic. ^^ Hope you enjoy future chapters as much as the first one. And yes, let's all pity poor, confuzzled Kai.  
  
Kai: -_-U  
  
Abee: ^^ CLaRa^Lei: Hope I didn't make you think too much! So far, Rei has only invited Kai. Maybe later he'll invite Takao or something, just to make Kai slightly annoyed. ^_~ Annoyed Kai is much fun.  
  
Kai: ¬_¬  
  
Abee: And I'm thinking naughty things too....last of this chappie is what I shall call "The Questionable Scene". Kind of lewd and rather blunt. If you guys aren't ready for that, I suggest NOT reading it. ^^;;;;; It's kind of a funny scene though. And BTW, I'm (Abee) not a guy.   
  
Kai: -_- Yet she's writing in first person as me...oooooh, this will be fun.....  
  
Abee: ^^;;;;; CLaRa: I read the note at the end of the chapter 7 of your fic and my verdict is: KILL HIM!  
  
Rei: O_O;;;;;;  
  
Abee: ^^;;;;; I'm a sucker for dark, gory, angst-y evil stuff. Plus, it's a shocker. But, maybe you could mortally wound him instead. ^^  
  
Rei: -_-  
  
Abee: Ne wayz, on with the fic and R&R. On another note, this will probably eventually be rated 'R'. Somehow, all my fics end up there. X3 ON WITH DA FIC!)  
  
Return To Summer  
  
Chapter 3: Words in the Dark  
  
The plane ride had been long and exhausting. When I got off the plane, I was in Hong Kong and nothing to look forward to, save for four or five hours worth of endless driving. I hate secluded mountain villages in the middle of no-where. Such a pain to get to.   
  
Six long, dusty hours later (my estimation was off), the sun was setting and the SUV rolled down the steep mountain path, into the village below. At last the car stopped jolting and came to a dead stop. I unfastened myself and got out of the vehicle, stretching weary limbs. The driver had got out of the car and went to the back of the truck. He was now unloading my bags. I'd travelled pretty light, but still, my....stuff...had managed to find a way to fill two suitcases and an over-night bag.  
  
Bugs drifted by on the late July air. I stood there, looking around at my surroundings. It seemed so calm and peaceful here...At length, I noticed a small group of children standing back a bit from the car, in the shadows of the houses. They were silent, watching me. "Hi," I said and they scattered, guilty at being caught. Or, maybe I was just scary. They ran into the houses, then peeked out of the door frames, still curious of me. Soft voices reached my ears, drifting from inside.   
  
"What's going on?"   
  
"Is there something out there?"  
  
"What's wrong, Yi?"  
  
I shifted uncomfortably and glanced at the truck. The driver was done unloading and was moving some of the things in the back of the truck. I suppose I hadn't been standing there as long as I thought.   
  
The night deepened. The laterns inside the houses had been lit, casting a warm glow into the graying dark. Someobdy poked their head out of one of the door frames. "What's got the little guys so spooked? Huh-oh, hey!Kai!"   
  
Rei launched himself out of the doorway and dashed head-long down the path to greet me. How he recognized me in the dark, I don't know. The small children deemed it safe to return outside. Rei slowed down, grabbing my hand firmly between both of   
  
his, shaking it vigourously and grinning broadly. "Kai! I didn't expect you to get here so soon! How have you been?"   
  
I pulled my hand out of his grasp. "Fine, I suppose."  
  
I was much more concerned with him. He wasn't wearing heavy layers any more and his frame was more obvious, spindly, lean and muscular. I felt a blush begin to creep across my cheeks and was grateful it was dark. He'd grown too. He was at least half an inch taller than me and I felt a pang of contempt at having to look up at him.   
  
"You look...well," he said almost shyly and turned away.   
  
He placed a hand over his cheek, giving away the fact he was blushing. Some of the kids who'd crowded around looked from Rei to me, then smiled almost knowingly.  
  
~*  
  
Rei's living room was quaint, along with the rest of his house- modest. We were sitting in the living room, enjoying a cup of tea. His mother, Mari, kept flitting in and out of the room, happy to entertain a guest. Rei resembled her almost to the point it was scary. They had the same heart-shaped face, the same jet black locks that turned purple under the right light, the same smile. Rei was obviously younger looking then her, of course, and his frame was more masculine. Rei's eyes glittered gold and Mari's were piercing green, like two emeralds.   
  
"I'm really glad you decided to come," Rei said, setting down his tea cup and smiling.   
  
I felt like melting. "Hnn."  
  
Rei's face grew serious. "You see, there's been a real bad sickness going around the village. A lot of people are bed-ridden. Some have even died."  
  
I regarded him silently, wondering if he was trying to kill me by bringing me down here. With a statement like that, I was thinking about leaving.   
  
"-and we need every hand we can get for the harvest. We're really glad you offered to come down and give us some help. The harvest is vital-"  
  
"What?"  
  
My eyes narrowed. Rei swallowed and shifted nervously. "Uh-"  
  
"You invited me down here to help with your harvest?"  
  
My voice was poison and I was shocked by how cruel and unforgiving I sounded. Rei nodded and lowered his gaze. "I-"  
  
Mari whisked into the room, gathering up the tea things. She turned and smiled at me. "It's so good of you to lend us a hand, Hiwatari-san. We really appreciate it."  
  
She almost glared at me when she said it. This was the reason I was here and there would be no talk of it. She whisked back out of the room. I felt slightly guilty. I'd been hoping to spend some time with Rei- just him and I. Rei hadn't told me he had ulterior motives for inviting me here. I felt almost slighted.   
  
Rei still had his gaze fixed to the floor. I felt bad suddenly. He obviously had meant what he said and I'd acted like some stuck-up...I reached across the table and put my hand on his. He glanced up quickly. I opened my mouth to apologize. Mari called to us from the kitchen. "Boys! Go upstairs and get to bed! You'll need your strength tomorow!"  
  
Rei stood up. "Come along."  
  
He disappeared upstairs. Sighing, I followed.  
  
~*  
  
("The Questionable Scene")  
  
The room was dark and the only sound was Rei's slow, even breathing. He was obviously fast asleep. I, on the other hand, was not. My mind was reeling and for the first time in my life, I felt horribly home-sick. I didn't know why. I'd been farther from home and never missed it. Maybe it was the fact that the only other person in the room was Rei and there was no Takao to be upset with.   
  
I turned over and looked at Rei, who was curled up like a kitten, his eyes closed. He was snoring softly. He looked so serene, so peacefuly. I wanted to reach out and touch him, pet him like he was a kitten. I didn't dare. I'd heard from Takao that Rei isn't the best person to wake up in the middle of the night. Then again, that was Takao and he was annoying.   
  
I lay there, watching him. The tingling feeling was back again. I took to stroking it again, rubbing the head between my forefinger and thumb. Pre-cum drizzled over my fingers, making them stick together. As much self-control as I have, I had to bite my lip to keep from crying out.  
  
Rei turned over, hair glistening in the moonlight. The feeling intensified and I stroked it harder, faster. My eyes fluttered shut and I climaxed. I sighed in relief and my hand slowed. I looked back at Rei, whose golden gaze met mine. He blinked sleepily. "Kai? You still awake?"  
  
I nodded, unable to reply, afraid my voice would tremble. He yawned. "Homesick?" he asked, sitting up.  
  
He rubbed his eyes a bit. He looked at me and smiled. "Do you need anything?"   
  
Always the gracious host. I shook my head 'no'. Rei swung his legs off the bed. "Tell ya what, I'll go get you a glass of water."  
  
"Rei. I'm fine-"  
  
He waved his hand in response. He slid off the bed and padded out of the room. I had to try not to drool at the cute way his ass wiggled when he walked. Did I mention he was only in a T-shirt and his boxers? I stared after him. After all, who was I to argue with that pretty picture?  
  
I lay on the bed, panting and trying to get myself under control. God, he was so hot. He was back withing a moment or two, offering me a glass of water. "Here."  
  
I propped myself up on and elbow and too the water. Stupid me. I'd FORGOTTEN I'd just jacked off and took the water in my cum-covered hand. Rei let go of the glass in surprise. "Jesus, Kai!"  
  
I turned red with embarrassment. How was I supposed to explain this? "Uh-"  
  
"Next time, invite me!"   
  
I blinked. "What?!"  
  
He giggled. "You heard me," he said, grinning coyly.   
  
My cock started to swell with his lewd comment. He got down on his knees (my bed was on the floor) and took the glass out of my hand. He took one of my fingers and rubbed it across his lips, then parted them and sucked on it. He closed his eyes. "Mmmm..."  
  
"Rei..."  
  
I stroked his cheek, rubbing my cum across his face. He opened his eyes and took my finger out of his mouth. He passed his tongue over his lips. "Mmm. I'd like to have some more of that some time."  
  
He grinned, then turned and scrambled back to his own bed. "Tease," I growled.   
  
He giggled. "I can't believe I did that."  
  
A blush crept across his cheeks and he continued to giggle, almost hysterically. Finally, he settled himself back down in the bed. "Night, Kai."  
  
~*~*~*  
  
[Rei: R&R pwetty pwease? *puppy-dog eyes*] 


	4. First Threshing

(A/N: Sorry for the delay. Writer's block. ^^;;;;  
  
Thankies for the reviews! ^O^ Aznfyri: Glad you liked and I will continue. ^^ Thankies for the review! cLaRa^Lei: Yup, Rei is getting naughty. ^^ Which can't be all so bad....=D Chocomallow: Glad you like it! ^O^ And now, on with the fic!)  
  
Return To Summer  
  
Chapter 4: First Threshing  
  
The sun rose hot and high, a testament to the summer weather. A heavy mist hung over the land. It was only five to five when we were roused by Mari. "Boys! Breakfast!"  
  
Rei was up in a flash and seconds later, he disappeared into the bathroom. Mari trudged upstairs and poked her head into the sunlit room. "Morning," she said brightly, smiling. "Where's Rei?"  
  
"Bathroom," I said and she nodded, then left again.   
  
Slowly, I hauled myself from the comfort of the sheets and started to get dressed.  
  
~*  
  
The hot noon sun burned down on my back and I wished I hadn't worn black. I was going to burn...  
  
I paused, wiping sweat from my forehead. Ahead of me, Rei swung his scythe back and forth effortlessly, wheat stalks falling to the ground. I felt slightly pathetic. Rei had practiced this - his movements were graceful and easy. I, on the other hand, felt clumsy and heavy. I'd never actually done any physical work.   
  
The swish of his scythe through the grain mocked me and I gritted my teeth. Sighing, I hefted the scythe and started at it again. My arms ached and burned with the motion. Rei paused and turned back, grinning. "Lunch time," he said, wipping sweat beads from his forehead.   
  
I set down the scythe. "Tired?" he asked, eyes glinting with amusement.  
  
I shook my head. "Good," he beamed. "'Cause we can't stop 'til the sun goes down."  
  
I almost groaned. It would about eight or nine before it got dark! "I hate farm work," I muttered.   
  
Rei clapped me on the shoulder. "It gets easier," he said reassuringly, then started back down the row we'd threshed. I trudged along behind him.   
  
Just beyond the fields was a line of oak lushious oak trees, wavering in the summer breeze. Beneath them, the girls and children had set out lunch on a white table cloth. There were only a few people in from the fields.  
  
"Are those all the threshers?" I asked, blinking.  
  
Rei nodded. "I told you we were badly short-handed. The plague's got most of the able-bodied down and out."  
  
"Oh," I said and decided not to pursue the issue.  
  
We sat down to lunch with Li, Gaow and Kiki. Rei chattered with them in Chinese and I felt badly misplaced. I could understand bits and pieces of what they were saying, but not enough to understand the entire conversation. I wouldn't dare try saying anything.   
  
Mao was near by, serving up food to the threshers. She was flirting with Rei - her actions were very obvious. I was slightly envious. She could display her affections for him in public. I couldn't, I wouldn't. What bothered me most about the whole situation was the fact that he was flirting back.   
  
It was the worst twenty minutes of my life. My head was spinning - what the hell was Rei doing? His actions last night had been unmistakable and now, he was flirting with Mao. Did he not know what he wanted? I was angry and depressed all at once. I'd been sure...and now I wasn't and...It was too confusing. I stared up at the perfect blue sky, hoping the noon sun would blind me.   
  
All at once, the chatter stopped and Rei stood up. "Well, back to the fields," he said cheerfully.  
  
I wondered how he could be happy about that, but followed him nonetheless. Mao pecked him on the cheek as he walked by. It made be sick with jealously. I frowned and made up my mind at that instant. Rei was going to be mine.   
  
~*  
  
Five o'clock was approaching rapidly when I broached the subject. Rei was only a few paces ahead of me. I'd caught onto the motion quickly and my arms weren't burning as badly. Our backs were to each other. The only sounds were the late evening birds, our breath and the swish of the blade through the wheat.   
  
I broke the silence. My tone was even and quiet, yet posionous and I was glad my back was turned so that Rei couldn't see my face. "So...you and Mao together?"  
  
The duet of the scythes stopped and became a solo. I kept swinging the blade. I heard metal clatter to the ground and knew Rei had dropped his scythe. "How can you even think that?" he hissed.   
  
I shrugged, my shoulders burning with the action. He hissed again. "She's like a sister to me!"  
  
"You seemed to think more of her at lunch."  
  
He was silent for a second. "Oh, oh! So, you think I like her?! You think I like her!"  
  
He grabbed me by the shoulders and pun me around. "You're crazy! You- I-..."  
  
I smirked. "So, you do like her."  
  
He spat viciously on the ground. "Do not!"   
  
He let go of me and crossed his arms and tried to look indignant. I shrugged and went back to threshing. "Denial gets you no where, Rei."  
  
"Denial?!" he screeched. "I'm not in denial!"   
  
I rolled my eyes, even if he couldn't see. "Sure, you're not..."  
  
He stomped his foot. "I am not in denial, Kai!"   
  
I didn't reply, just smirked and kept swinging my scythe.   
  
Rei 'hmph'ed and picked up his scythe. He swung the blade through the wheat with such force now that the swish was more like a zing sound. He was angry and it showed. I smirked and kept threshing. This was going to be easier than I thought...  
  
Rei was about sixty paces ahead of me now, and still threshing furiously. I looked at his face. His fangs were bared, his eyes were slitted and his eyebrows were knitted together in anger. I looked at the threshing job he'd done. Some of the stalks had the heads still attached to them, hanging on by a mere thread. "Hey!" I called to him.  
  
He looked back, still furious. "Looks like you missed some!"   
  
He went red with rage. "Shut up!" he shouted back, then turned back to the wheat.   
  
I sniggered. Oh, this was going to be fun.....  
  
~*  
  
Rei didn't speak to me when we left the fields. He didn't say a word to me all evening.   
  
I was more than glad when the sun disappeared over the horizon, signalling "quitting time." We headed in from the fields, past the line of oaks, back into the village.   
  
From there, the threshers went their separate ways, each to his own home.   
  
Mari was drying dishes when we came in. She smiled warmly at us, saying, "There's some dinner on the counter."  
  
And then, she caught sight of Rei's face and frowned. "I'm going to bed," he said almost angrily, then stormed upstairs.  
  
Mari looked at me and I shrugged.   
  
After dinner, I went upstairs, fully prepared for a good night's sleep. I crept into the room, assuming Rei had already gone to bed and was alseep. The room was dark and eeriely silent. I shut the door behind me. As soon as the door was shut, was pinned to the wall by something that moved as quick as light. Something warm and wet pressed against my mouth and I realized it was somebody's mouth. Rei's mouth to be exact. I slid my arm about his waist, feeling his body press up against mine.   
  
He pulled away and smirked. "I don't like Mariah," he said.   
  
And then, he went to his bed and went to sleep.   
  
~*~*~*~*  
  
[A/N: Good, bad, like, dislike? R&R and tell me what you think. ^^] 


	5. The Storm

(A/N: Blah. Sorry about the lack of updates. First off, I got writers block and THEN ff.net decided they needed to suspend me as they hadn't done that for a while. -_- Hoperfully, this chappie's up to standards. Enjoy. As always, thankies for the lovely reviews. ^^  
  
Hi: I'm glad you like the story and I'm very sorry about the lack of updates. I'll try my best to update sooner this time.  
  
Aznfyre: I take it that was your fav line? Thanks for reviewing!   
  
hhtme: I'm glad that you liked the fic. And sorry about not updating, but I'll try to update sooner.  
  
And now, on with the fic!)  
  
Return To Summer  
  
Chapter 5: The Storm  
  
The wind howled angrily, wipping Rei's hair about. Standing behind him, I nearly got hit in the eye, several times. The sky had turned rather black, threatening rain. Rei just stood there, stock still, looking at the sky. "What?" I asked him, grabbing a fistful of his hair and holding it away from my face.  
  
"There's going to be a storm," Rei said and I rolled my eyes.   
  
"Really, Rei? I hadn't noticed."  
  
Rei turned and hissed at me. "This is no laughing matter Kai! If the rains are heavy, the wheat will be ruined!"  
  
I stood there, not finding the horror in those words that Rei obviously did. He grabbed my shoulders and shook me. "Don't you get it?! Without the wheat, the people will starve in the winter!"  
  
I blinked. "You guys eat wheat all winter long?"  
  
Rei gritted his teeth. "No, you baka! We sell the wheat, which gives us money to buy other food for the winter. The surplus makes flour and bread and feeds the horses."  
  
"Oh," I said, feeling a little stupid.   
  
Rei looked back at the small group of threshers huddled just a little ways back from us. "Look alive!" he shouted. "Get as much threshed as you can before the rain starts! We don't know how heavy the rain will be!"   
  
The group dispersed. Li walked up to Rei. "Rei, I know you're concered about the village, but I don't think-"  
  
"Just, get to work Li," Rei said, looking at the other boy, almost desperately.  
  
Li swallowed and nodded. Rei started for the fields. He turned back to me. "Well, get a move on Kai! There's a whole field here!"   
  
He gestured wildly with his hand. "Rei, I think you're just getting a little worked up-"  
  
"I'm not gonna starve again, goddamnit! I'm not! I'm not!"  
  
I stepped back from him. "Rei. Rei, just calm down. Nobody's gonna starve."  
  
I gently placed my hands on his shoulders, moving toward him again. He moved away. "Just leave me alone."  
  
He walked away. I followed him. "Rei-"  
  
"Just leave me alone."  
  
We worked in the field like that, in silence, for about twenty minutes, before the rain started coming down. Hard. The threshers were running from the fields, carrying with them what they could of the wheat.   
  
I looked at the fleeing threshers, then back at Rei. He was gone. The rain was making it hard to see, so I couldn't find him anywhere. I suspected he hadn't gone far though. "Rei!" I shouted.  
  
No answer, save for thunder clapping overhead. I winced as the sound boomed, pressing on my eardrums, then dashed forward. "Rei!"   
  
Still no answer. I'd be damned if I let him walk off again. I gritted my teeth and started to run. I couldn't see five feet in front of my face, but I wasn't going to lose Rei. I ran out of the field and slipped and fell in the mud. I got up again. I kept running. "Rei!" I screamed, my voice becoming shrill.   
  
I'd lost him again, hadn't I? Panic started to set in. Where the hell could he have got to? My clothes were plastered to my body and stained with mud and grass. I didn't care. "Rei!"   
  
I tripped again, over a tree root. I land hard in the dirt-turned mud. I coughed, finding the wind having been knocked out of me. I sat up again. Blood dribbled down my hands where I'd cut them. I realized I was in the forest. The rain pelted the leaves of the trees, making...well, that noise leaves make when they're petted by rain.   
  
I got up, starting to run again. "Rei! Rei! Where the hell are you?!"   
  
No answer. I felt myself on the verge of tears. Rei was gone. I'd just let him go again. I hated myself. I stopped, pausing against a nearby terr-trunk, looking up at the sky. "Why?" I asked the sky, feeling very helpless and very small.  
  
Thunder boomed in reply. Gritting my teeth, I started off again. What if Rei was hurt somewhere? I couldn't just leave him out here, could I?  
  
I ran for a long time. I tripped over some more roots. The rain never ceased. At long last, just as I was about to turn back, giving this up as hopeless, I saw something white lying on the ground at my feet. Rei's hair wrap. It was covered in mud and I wondered just how long it had been lying there.   
  
I started forward again, looking left and right, calling his name. No answer. Then, there he was, huddled under a tree, knees hugged to his chest, sobbing into them.   
  
I ran to him. "Rei! Rei, what's wrong?"  
  
I got down on my hands and knees, trying to get him to look at me. "Rei, what's wrong? What happened?"  
  
Long strands of ebony hair clung to his muddied face. "It's all my fault," he said softly.  
  
"What's all your fault, Rei?"  
  
I lifted his chin gently, forcing him to look at me. "That the village will starve."  
  
I gritted my teeth. "Rei, nobody's going to starve."  
  
He started to cry again, pulling away from me. "Yes they are! They're all gonna die and it's gonna be all my fault!"   
  
I slapped him. Hard. "Get a hold of yourself, Kon! Everybody's going to die as long as you sit here snivelling about it!"   
  
He stared at me, holding a hand to his cheek. "Kai," he said softly.   
  
He pulled me down on him and kissed me. Before I knew what was happening, we were involved in a full-blown make-out session, kissing each other and groping each other madly.   
  
I bit his lip, drawing blood and ground myself against his hips. He cried out, both in pleasure and in pain. We went on like this for a while, lost in animalistic passion. Without warning, we tore away from each other, looking in opposite directions, suddenly feeling very guilty.   
  
I don't know why, but I felt like we'd done something very wrong. It'd felt good and there was no denying there was an attraction between us, but somehow....  
  
We sat there, in silence for a moment or two. Rei turned back to me. "Don't tell anybody?"  
  
He looked at me, begging me to keep quiet. I nodded. Slowly, we got up, each of us trying to to hide our evidence from the other. I don't know why, but I guess we felt kind of guilty that we'd been turned on by that. It was, of course, the only natural thing that could have happened.   
  
Rei took my hand. "We should get back," he said.  
  
I brushed some of the hair out of his eyes. "We should do that again sometime," I said softly, trying not to be too obvious.  
  
Rei smiled. "'kay," he whispered, then sneezed.  
  
I smirked. I had a funny feeling we were both going to have very bad colds in the morning...  
  
~*~*~*  
  
[A/n: As always, R&R?] 


	6. A Cold

(A/N: Thankies for the reviews! ^O^ me+ray: I'm glad you like the fic. Sadly, the storm's kinda...over. ;_; Maybe I'll put another one in here. ^^  
  
HXH-YGO-OtAkU: In case you haven't noticed, each of these chappies is a little...naughty. O_o;;;; I'm glad you like the fic though. ^^  
  
celesyun: Twasn't as bad as it could have been. Sorry if you're traumatized though.  
  
Yousei: I'm glad you like the fic and the reason Kyouju's name was put down as "Kenny" was because I couldn't find the orginal Japanese name. ;__; But thank you, now I know what it is! ^O^ *huggles* Thankies!!!  
  
And now, on with the fic!)  
  
Return To Summer  
  
Chapter 6: A Cold  
  
I was up with the sun the next morning, partially because Rei was coughing and sneezing practically non-stop. It was slightly annoying. I'd handed him some tissues, then stopped downstairs. I was not pleased to be up at three-thirty. Now, I was sitting in the kitchen, sipping a coffee and wishing I had the morning paper. Instead, I'd settled for a novel I'd plucked off Rei's shelf. It was the sappy, romantic kind and I really wished I'd put it down. Apparently, I thought it was better to do something rather than nothing.  
  
At about four-thirty, I'd come across one of those paragraphs...the ones that go into lovely, graphis detail about how so-and-so and the love of their life made, hot passionate love. I rolled my eyes. I heard footsteps and looked up to see Mari smiling down at me. "So, you like reading too?" she asked, moving away to start breakfast.  
  
I didn't answer, but set the book down. She was pulling out pots and pans, banging stuff around. "Rei reads those all the time. It's kind of funny. You wouldn't think a boy would like that kind of stuff."  
  
She smiled and looked out the window, her eyes almost glazing over. "He and Mao are such a perfect match."  
  
I struggled not to choke on my now cold coffee. Mari had now started rambling about how it was going to be "such a pretty wedding" and she'd have lots of "little grandkids". I was sitting at the table, practically bug-eyed. I was glad I had my back turned to her. I was laughing inside - she thought Rei loved Mariah! She had no clue!   
  
She turned back to me. "So, Kai, do you have anybody special back home?"  
  
I set down my coffee and shook my head. "No."  
  
"Oh, that's too bad," Mari said, laying some bacon in the skillet.  
  
I mentally contemplated how it was too bad that Rei didn't live in Japan. Mari glanced about the kitchen. "Where is Rei anyways?"  
  
"He's still in bed, likely. Coughing anf sneezing and such."  
  
Mari's face grew a bit pale. "Oh. Sick, is he?"  
  
I nodded. Mari frowned. "That's not good..."  
  
I raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"  
  
"That's how the sickness that's going around the village starts. Just like a cold."  
  
"Well, he was out in the rain yesterday. That could be the cause of the cold."  
  
"I don't want to take any chances. He's my little boy."  
  
I nearly laughed when she said that, then saw how concerned she looked. She walked over to the door and leant out it. "Hnn. I doubt if the healer's up yet..."  
  
Just then, Rei walked...well, more of shuffled, into the kitchen. He looked very, very tired and rather pale. I do suppose you could have said he was "scary". Anyways, he looked like hell warmed over. He sat down heavily in a chair and sniffed, loudly. Mari turned back and looked at Rei. "Oh, Rei honey, you look real sick."  
  
She scurried over to Rei and put a hand on his forehead. "Well, you don't have a fever?"  
  
Rei blew his nose into a tissue. Mari blinked. "How do you feel, sweetie?"  
  
"Sick," Rei said and promptly coughed.   
  
Mari patted him on the head. "Poor boy," she said.  
  
I snickered and Rei glared at me. "Shut up," he said, putting his head down on the table.   
  
Mari frowned. "I'll tell Li that you can't help with the threshing today."  
  
"Okay," was Rei's muffled reply.  
  
Mari looked up from the bacon, as if she'd remembered something. "Oh, dear," she said and frowned. "I was going to go to your Aunt Lyn's today."  
  
Rei mumbled something. Mari turned to me. "Kai? Would you mind watching him while I went down to Lyn's? If he gets bad, call the doctor, okay?"  
  
I nodded. Rei seemed to have noticed that I'd been reading his book. "You like that crap?" he snarled, moving away from the book, as if it was evil.  
  
"You certainly seem to, Rei-chan," I said and gave his cheek a pinch.  
  
He hissed and tried to bat my hand away.   
  
~*~*  
  
Mari left for Lyn's around one. Rei was upstairs in bed and I was lounging on the couch, reading that book. I have no idea why. Boredom does that to one, I suppose. After Mari had been gone for about ten minutes, I glanced up at the stairs. Sighing, I decided I'd better go check on Rei. Maybe, if I was lucky, he was asleep.   
  
I treaded up the stairs as quietly as I could, then peered into Rei's room. He was lying on the bed, rummaging through my duffle bag. Several magazines had been scattered across the floor. What can I say? I like my reading material. "Find anything interesting?" I asked in amusement.  
  
His head shot up and he blushed lightly. "Ummm...."  
  
I shut the door and walked over to him. "I asked you a question, Rei-chan. Did you find anything interesting?"  
  
"Well, kind of-"  
  
"And what was that?"  
  
I'd sat down on the floor and I was at eye level. I met and held his gaze. His breath hitched. "You," he mumbled.  
  
I smirked in amusement. "Me? What's interesting about me?"  
  
Rei opened his mouth to say something, then stuck out his tongue and dove under the covers. "I'm sick," he whined.   
  
I got up on the bed, stroking his hair. "Sick, you say? What does it matter?"  
  
I leaned in to kiss him. He backed up. He racked his nails across my face. "Rei!"   
  
He huddled against the wall, staring at me wide-eyed. "Kai, just...leave me alone," he panted, then sneezed again, ruining the "dramatic" moment.  
  
I rolled my eyes. "Rei-"  
  
"Kai! Just leave me alone! I'm....I just don't wanna do this physical stuff," he muttered, looking at the wall.   
  
He looked back at me. "I just wanna know you like me for me, okay?"  
  
I raised an eyebrow. "You think I'm superficial?"  
  
He shook his head. "No, I don't think you're superficial, but I just want to be sure."  
  
I sighed. Rei was making no sense at the moment. I reached out and felt his forehead. "Well, no fever, so you're not delirious."  
  
Rei crossed his arms and frowned. "Go back downstairs, Kai and let me get some sleep."  
  
"Why can't I stay up here? I'll be quiet."  
  
Rei grinned, then sneezed again. "You're always quiet," he said. "Too quiet."  
  
I got off the bed. I sat down on my own bed, watching as Rei wriggled under the covers. His golden eyes peered out at me from under the blankets. I couldn't help but laugh a bit. Rei blinked. "What?"  
  
I smiled. "I had a kitten once and he'd hide under the covers and you'd just be able to see his big eyes, peering out at you. It was....cute."  
  
Rei smiled. "You thought something was cute?"  
  
"Yes. I think you're cute too."  
  
Rei blushed slightly and hid under the covers again. "You're cute too," he said, his voice muffled by the blankets.   
  
There was an awkward moment where we were both silent and then, Rei asked, "What happened to the kitten?"  
  
I frowned and looked at the floor. "I....had to give him away," I said quietly. "Grandfather didn't think I should have a pet."  
  
I looked at Rei, who was frowning slightly. "If he didn't want you to have a kitten," he said slowly, "do you think.....he'd like the idea of you having a....boyfriend?"  
  
He blushed and hid under the covers. I frowned. "Not likely."  
  
Rei sighed. "I don't think my mom's gonna like it either. She still thinks I like Mariah."  
  
I smiled a bit. "So I heard. She was going on about a wedding this morning."  
  
Rei blushed. "She was?"  
  
I crawled back onto the bed, curling up with him. "Yes."  
  
I tucked a stray hair behind his ear. "Personally, I think you'd look pretty in a wedding dress," I purred.  
  
He stuck out his tongue. "So would you," he retorted acidly.  
  
Something banged downstairs and Mari shouted up to us, "Boys! I'm home!"   
  
We disentangled ourselves from each other. Rei straightened out his covers and curled up again. I sat down on my bed, picking up a magazine, flipping idly through it. Mari peered into the room and smiled. She looked at me. "How is he?" she asked.  
  
"He's sleeping," I said almost boredly and she nodded, looking over at the lump under the blankets that was Rei.   
  
"Good. I'll go get dinner started," she chirped, then disappeared back downstairs.   
  
Rei glanced over at me. I sighed. "This isn't going to be easy...."  
  
Rei smiled. "Nobody ever said it would be."  
  
For some reason, I couldn't help but smile back.  
  
~*~*~*~*  
  
[A/N: Fluff....*shudders* Ugh....too much fluff. @_@ Next chapter will probably be much more depressing. R&R is always welcome. ^^] 


	7. Commitments

(A/N: WHEE! I'm in a good mood. I just got an interview for a job. *dances, then realizes that a job could affect writing* O_o;;;; Eh. Oh well, I'm happy, so I'm gonna share the happiness with you (in the form of a new chappie)! Thankies for the reviews! ^O^   
  
HXH-YGO-OtAkU: No, you didn't freak me out with the word naughty, and I'm glad that you noticed all the chapters were "that way." And yes, that one was especially that way. O_o;;; And don't worry about the review - I've seen much longer ones. *dies*   
  
And here's the next chappie. ^^  
  
Mahojin: Abee-sama huh? *grins stupidly* D And yes, I thought that line was very fitting - Kai would never think something was cute. O_o;;;; (please read the author's note for Dawn of Terror (chapter 26) and rply to random question *hinthint*) Nevermind me, I'm hyper. ^^;;;;;;  
  
And now, on with the fic!)  
  
Return To Summer  
  
Chapter 7: Commitments  
  
The sun dawned lazily over the world and I stirred awake. Rei was already up - I could hear him pattering about the bathroom. I slid off the futon.  
  
I pattered downstairs, yawning and rubbing sleep from my eyes. Mari greeted me brightly as I walked into the kitchen. "Morning, Kai!"   
  
She turned back to her cooking. A few moments later, Rei joined me at the table. His hair was throughly soaked, the wet tendrils falling over his shoulders. I eyed him passively. "Why don't you cut your hair?"  
  
Rei stuck his tongue out. "I happen to like my hair," he said, crossing his arms and looking away.  
  
Mari set breakfast out on the table. "Nice to see you're feeling better, Rei-chan," she said, smiling brightly at her son.   
  
Rei didn't reply. Instead, he shoveled some of the scrambled eggs into his mouth, almost angrily. I bit back a laugh. Rei was obviously tired of being treated like a little kid - Mari babied him. It was...kawaii. I sighed and looked at breakfast. It looked great - Mari's cooking always did. I knew now where Rei got his flare for cooking. But this morning, I just didn't feel like eating. I had the horrible knotting feeling in my stomach that something bad was going to happen...  
  
I pushed my plate away and put my head down on the table. Mari gave me a sideways glance. "Not hungry Kai?"  
  
"No," I replied blandly.   
  
She didn't say anything more, but seated herself at the table with her own breakfast. She looked at Rei and cleared her throat. "While I was at your aunt's yesterday, I talked with Mao's mother."  
  
Rei glanced up, his eyes denoting something of concern and worry. Mari missed it and smiled brightly at Rei. "She said that they'd be glad to have Mao marry you."  
  
Had I been eating anything, I would have choked. "Nani?!" I asked, quite loudly, looking incredulously at Rei.   
  
Mari seemed startled by my 'outburst', but I ignored her. Rei had gone rather pale. He looked at Mari and smiled weakly. "That's...great, Mum."  
  
She smiled and closed her eyes. "I know. It's going to be so wonderful - "  
  
Rei got up abruptly and fled the room. Mari stared after him. "What in the world -"  
  
I got up silently and followed Rei. I clambered back up the stairs. Cautiously, I opened the door to the bedroom, hoping not to get my eyes scratched out. Rei can be rather volitile and unpredictable. "Rei-chan?" I asked quietly.   
  
The boy was sitting on the bed, his eyes focused on the wall. He looked like he was deep in thought. I took a step into the room, then another and closed the door behind me. I sat down on the bed with him. "Rei-chan?"  
  
He looked up at me. "What am I going to do, Kai? I don't want to get married!"   
  
He waited patiently for an answer. I took a breath and closed my eyes. "I don't know what you're going to do Rei."  
  
He bit his lip and turned away. "Some help you are," he muttered darkly.   
  
He curled up on the bed, sighing dejectedly. "I'm too young to even be thinking about marriage. Especially to Mao."  
  
He shuddered slightly. "She's my friend and...well, she's my sister."  
  
I didn't say anything. He got back up. "You don't marry your sister, Kai!"  
  
I rolled my eyes. "So, how are you going to let her down gently?"  
  
Rei sighed again. "I don't know, Kai. I don't know."  
  
I gave him a re-assuring pat on the shoulder. "We'll figure something out, Rei."  
  
He sighed and was about to say something, when Mari called to us from downstairs. "Boys! Better get going! The threshers are heading out!"  
  
I patted Rei on the shoulder. "Come on," I said and got up.   
  
He followed me.  
  
~*~*~*~*  
  
Lunch-time was hell. Rei sat close to me, but Mao was almost right beside him, batting her eyes and gushing about their engagement. It made me want to be sick. Rei was clearly uncomfortable being lavished in such attention, but Mao didn't seem to notice.   
  
In fact, I think she was the only one who didn't notice that Rei stuttered and glanced at me whenever he answered a question.   
  
Li was currently glaring at me. Gaow continued munching on his food, though he kept saying things like, "Mao, let Rei eat his lunch."  
  
Kiki was watching the couple, with some jealously in his visible eye. He clearly resented the happy couple. The entire air seemed terse and the tension was growing by the second. Something was going to snap, I just knew it....  
  
Rei glanced over at me nervously and Li suddenly stood up, barking at Mao, "Shut up, you idiot! Don't you get it?!"  
  
Everyone stared at him. He was huffing with anger, angry spakrs playing in his slitted eyes. "Don't you get it, Mao?" he asked again. "He doesn't like you!"  
  
Both Mao and Rei looked horribly shocked. Mao, proabably because she thought Rei was hopelessly in love with her and Rei, proabably because he thought that Li knew.   
  
The pink-haired girl huffed and crossed her arms. "Don't you ever accuse my Rei of not loving me!"  
  
Li grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. "He doesn't like you Mao! He likes - " Li paused and glared at me. " -Our Japanese friend here," he growled, eyes slitting dangerously.   
  
Mao looked at me, wide-eyed. I snorted and glared at Rei. "You swing that way?" I asked, doing my best to sound disgusted.   
  
I obviously did, because Rei's eyes widened with hurt. Then he caught on and played along. His lip curled upwards in utter horror. "Hell no! That's sick!"   
  
Mao turned and stuck her tongue out at Li. "See?" she asked, smirking triumphantly.   
  
Li gritted his teeth. I could tell he wasn't convinced. We had to do something, fast...  
  
Rei was quick on the comeback. "I bet you're the faggot here," he snarled at me.   
  
I snapped. I'd been insulted and I wouldn't take that sitting down. I decked Rei. He clutched his bloody nose and his eyes got wide. "Why you - "  
  
He pounced on me and the next thing we knew, we were involved in a full-fledged brawl, hitting, clawing, biting, kicking - doing whatever we could do to make sure the other was bruised and battered.   
  
At first, everyone else was startled, then Li and the other boys started cheering Rei on. "Yeah Rei! Kick his ass!"   
  
Mao, on the other hand, was horrified. "Stop! Stop! This isn't right!" she shouted, but nobody listened to her.   
  
Rather abruptly, I found myself on top of Rei, my face just inches apart from his. Instinct took hold and we pressed out lips together, kissing each other passionately.   
  
The 'crowd' went silent. Rei and I parted. Rei's eyes widened with shock and he glanced toward his friends. Mao looked as if she'd been punched in the gut; Kiki's eyes were wide and Li's upper lip was curled upwards in a snarl. Gaow was munching on their forgotten food.   
  
I felt the blood drain from my face. I'd just kissed Rei. In front of everyone. I pushed myself away from him. He sat up, staring at me, wide-eyed. We were waiting for the other shoe to drop and it was agony... 


	8. Finding Out

(A/N: Thankies for the review, HXH-YGO-OtAkU. ^_^ I really liked the last chapter. It finally gave me some plot. And don't kill me yet! There's more to come, for sure! *hides guns and daggers* _   
  
Now! On with the fic!)  
  
Return To Summer  
  
Chapter 8: Finding Out  
  
Everyone stood there, as if frozen in time. It was the longest and most draining moment of my life. Mao was the first to move. She ran forward, tears spilling out of her eyes. She struck out, backhanding Rei across the face with as much force as she could. The sound of the slap echoed.  
  
Rei glanced up at her, eyes wide. She wiped a forearm across her eyes angrily. "I hate you!" she shrieked. "You lied to me, you....you...freak!"   
  
She turned and ran, running back towards the village as fast as she could. She was crying hard as she went. Li looked after Mao, then turned back to glare at Rei and I, before he ran after the upset girl. "Mao, wait!" he shouted.  
  
I looked at Kevin and Gaow. Gaow seemed unfazed, but Kiki...Kiki looked angry, and...hurt at the same time. He glared at Rei.His violet gaze narrowed and he hissed out, "Freak."  
  
Rei looked startled. Kiki turned and walked away, following Li and Mao. Gaow finally looked over at us and smiled a bit. It was a genuine smile, which confused me more than anything else. Angry and disgust I could understand, but...A smile?   
  
Gaow smiled at Rei, gently and said comfortingly, in his big, slow voice, "Just give them time."  
  
Rei blinked, and a slow, sad smile spread across his face. "Thanks," he whispered, looking down at the ground, still holding a hand to his injured cheek.  
  
~*~*~*  
  
Rei wouldn't talk to me. He had been pointedly ignoring me all evening and it was starting to get on my nerves. Maro hadn't said much all evening either. She seemed to sense that there was some sort of tension between Rei and I. I just hoped that she couldn't guess what it was and hadn't heard about...  
  
News travels fast in a small village. She was bound to hear about it sooner or later, but if Rei wasn't going to tell her, I wasn't either.   
  
About half-past ten, after hour upon hour of sitting in complete silence, Mari announced she was going to turn in for the night, bid us good night and headed upstairs. As soon as her bedroom door shut and locked, Rei turned to me. His eyes were slitted and his arms were folded across his chest. He did not look happy.  
  
"Why?" he hissed, keeping his voice low.  
  
"Why what?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Why did you do that?"  
  
"Do what?" I grated out, gritting my teeth. I didn't want to play twenty questions.  
  
"You know! Kiss me, in front of...them," he finished weakly, as if he couldn't speak their names.  
  
I shrugged and turned away from his gaze. He hissed. "Why did you have to do it in front of them? Now they know, and they're bound to tell somebody and then -"  
  
I glared at him. "You could have shoved me away, you know! Don't act like this is all my fault!"  
  
What right did he have to accuse me of being at fault? He'd kissed back - it was as much his fault as mine. He laughed bitterly. "Pushed you away? Why? So you could be pissed at me?"  
  
"I would not be -"  
  
"You would so!"  
  
"Stop accusing me -"  
  
"I'll stop accusing when you admit it was all your fault!"  
  
"It was not my fault! If you hadn't of -"  
  
"It was so your fault! You were the one who -"  
  
"You didn't have any objections, now did you?!"  
  
"You shouldn't have done that in the first place -"  
  
"Well, how the fuck did you want to prove to Li you aren't -"  
  
"Just shut up!"  
  
"Why don't you?!"  
  
We stopped suddenly and looked toward the stairwell. Mari was standing there, her eyes wide. She walked into the living room and sat down, glaring pointedly at both of us. "Boys. I want you to tell me what happened."  
  
I glanced at Rei, who glared back, telling me with his eyes to stay silent. Mari glared at her son. "Rei! You're going to tell me what happened today, in whole and in truth."  
  
Rei swallowed, wincing under his mother's harsh gaze. He glanced nervously back at me. I turned away. "We...uh...we kissed," he said softly, lowering his head, as if in shame.  
  
Mari's eyes widened in shock. "You -"  
  
Rei looked back up. "But it was an accident! We didn't mean to -"  
  
I snorted. "It wasn't an accident," I said lowly.  
  
Mari looked bewildered. "You....you two kissed...and it wasn't an accident..."  
  
Rei slapped me across the face. "You!" he hissed. "I hate you!"  
  
He fled the room before anybody could stop him. His footsteps faded away. Mari got to her feet, seeming to have recovered from her shock. She turned and glared at me. "You," she said, her voice trembling with anger. "Get out of my house."  
  
She turned and followed Rei up the stairs. I blinked. I'd just been ordered out of the house? This wasn't good....  
  
[A/N: ....Slightly short, ne? R&R please?] 


	9. Summer's Closing

(A/N: Eep. Sorry for not updating in like, forever. Work has been killer and school just started...-_-;;;; Also, writer's block decided to pay me a visit...I'm also sorry to say this is the last chapter of this fic. Maybe there'll be a sequel...maybe...  
  
HXH-YGO-OtAkU: ^_^ I'm glad you thought it was good and let's all pity Rei. ) and don't we all hate sad chapters? This one isn't gonna be much happier...Don't kill me! *cowers* I have legitimate excuses!!!! *hides* o.o;;;;  
  
Eresphen's Light: Glad you like and glad I'm being...err...original. ^_^;;;;   
  
Now! On with the fic!)  
  
Return To Summer  
  
Chapter 9: Summer's Closing  
  
The crickets chirped loudly. I'd always loved the sound of them. I never really got to hear them over the rush of the city now. I don't know why, but it made me ...sorrowful. The crickets always signalled the approaching end of summer. Their sound was slow and rhythmic and almost sad.   
  
I sat under the oak tree at the edge of town, listening to them and the wind rustling through the dried wheat. I felt terrible and the sounds of the night made me feel somebody was sympathizing with me. Far away, a lone wolf howled to the stars.   
  
A light mist hung over the land and it wasn't quite as hot as it had been. There was a chill in the air, signalling the changing of seasons. I sighed softly, watching a leaf flutter off the oak, on the wind. It was still green.  
  
I was so...confused right then. I had no idea what to do, where to go, who to turn to. I wanted to say goodbye to Rei, but somehow, I wasn't sure if things had changed between us suddenly. Should I go? Should I stay?   
  
The entire village seemed to be repelling me now. I felt like I was suffocating there. The looks of hatred Mao and Li had given me were not easily forgotten and they'd been replicated and intensified ten-fold by Mari.   
  
I cursed out loud and sat up, hugging my knees to my chest. I was leaving tomorrow, no matter what. There was no question that I had to. I wasn't welcome here anymore. My welcome was worn out.   
  
It wasn't as if I wouldn't have had to gone back anyways. My new school term was starting in less than a week. I had been hoping to leave on better terms and maybe...with some understanding of the dynamics between Rei and myself...  
  
"Aw, who the fuck am I kidding anyways?"  
  
There was nothing between Rei and me, and I knew it...all these cold twisted feelings meant nothing, even if I could unravel them. I was an idiot to believe in -  
  
"I don't know who you're trying to fool, Kai..."  
  
My thoughts abruptly fell off a cliff and I glanced up at Rei, who seemed to be spun out of moonlight at that moment. His hair shone and the tresses hung about his knees. He was looking thoughtfully at the sky. "It's beautiful," he said softly, never taking his eyes away from the sky.   
  
I said nothing, even thought the smart retort was on the tip of my tongue. I glanced away, then back up into his tearful eyes. "I'm...I'm sorry, Kai," he whispered.   
  
Again, I remained silent. I couldn't say anything to him. The grass beside me swished as he sat down beside me. "I-I really am sorry, Kai."   
  
I swallowed my pride. "I....I'm sorry too, Rei."  
  
There. I'd said it. It tasted vile on my tongue - I'd admitted I'd been wrong. I felt Rei nuzzle closer to me. Well, it was worth it, I suppose. I felt better and here was my Rei-chan. I gazed at him, looking into his eyes. "The sky's not the only beautiful thing here," I murmured, then leaned in and kissed him.  
  
~*~*~*~*  
  
I woke up to the vaulting dawn sky over my head. The horizon was turning pink. Groggily, I sat up, shaking my head. "Uhn...what happened?"  
  
I blinked my eyes, then my body responded to cold and I realized where I was, who I was with and...what I had done. I blushed violently, my eyes stealing down to look at Rei, who was curled in the grass, naked.  
  
I shook him into wakefulness. "Rei-chan, wake up..."  
  
Gold eyes opened slowly, Rei whimpering groggily as he sat up. "Kai-kun? What...what happened? Where are we?"  
  
He must have started to remember, because he blushed as he sat up, keeping his eyes cast downwards. "Thank you, Kai," he whispered, then flung himself forward, slinging his arms about my neck.   
  
"Rei..."  
  
He pulled back from the embrace, blushing deeply. "We've got to get dressed," he murmured, quietly, as though he were embarrassed.   
  
I couldn't help but smile.  
  
~*~*~*~*  
  
I hugged him goodbye, in front of everybody. I didn't care, I just didn't. Who were they to dictate my life?   
  
The car drove off, leaving behind it a trail of dust. I looked back at Rei, who was waving, until he disappeared from sight. I sighed and turned around in my seat, facing forward again. I had a long trip ahead of me.  
  
The afternoon began to fade into dusk and the starts began to dot the sky one by one. The sunset was fantastic, framed by the sharp, jagged crowns of the mountains. The orange glow basked on their snowcaps, making them seem warm and inviting.   
  
The sky paled and the clouds turned pink and dusky violet. I made out a couple early constellations in the evening sky. All the while, I thought of nothing but Rei. It's amazing how one person can dominate your thoughts.   
  
The crickets began to chirp again. The air that rushed through the open window of the vehicle was colder than it had been a few days before.   
  
Summer was at it's end. Maybe I'll return to it sometime.   
  
The crickets chirped louder still.   
  
~*OWARII*~  
  
[Taa-daa. R&R and tell me what you think of that. ^^;;;;] 


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